My Real Life

I never watched Sex in the City when it was on.

It’s a show that I came to in reruns, and in the later seasons.

So, I never really got to see the beginning of the show, the genesis of certain relationships, or the evolution of the characters.

I simply knew them, as they were, in the end, and I enjoyed watching.

I saw both movies, and at the end of the second one, decided that the stories had definitely run their course.

Amazon Prime recently announced that it had the entire season available for streaming, and I was in need of a new treadmill show, so I decided to watch from the beginning.

And, as much as I liked it before, I like it even more, now.

I’m even obsessing, a bit.

Obviously, it’s not for the faint of heart, and is over the top with the adult content, but what I like about the show is the friendship.

Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha are friends.

Real friends.

And, while it bothers me immensely that they complain endlessly about not being able to find good men, and then when they do, these women are the ones who mess it up, at least they always have each other’s backs.

It reminds me, very much, of my friendship with Kim, Erin, and Michaela.

If we were all single and living in the city, that is.

However, even though we are all married, some of us with kids, some of us not, living hours away from each other, we’ve always got each other’s backs, and I think that is the heart of the show.

The relationships with the men are secondary.

But the relationship between the women takes center stage and I love it.

It’s a lot like why I love Buffy the Vampire slayer.

Yes, yes…I’m a fan of the supernatural, but it, too, is a show about friendship and that is the string that lasts through the entire show.

It even saves Willow’s mortal soul, at one point.

But, that’s an episode for another day.

I do, also, love that the women aren’t willing to settle.

They know what they want, and are willing to say goodbye to relationships that are “just okay” in order to find what they need, and what they deserve.

One of my favorite lines comes from the an episode in season two.

Carrie is leaving Mr. Big at his engagement party and she says (to us) “Maybe some women aren’t meant to be tamed. Maybe they need to run free until they find someone just as wild to run with.”

Love that line.

Not that I consider myself wild, but I understand the sentiment and, again, the idea that “it” is out there for everyone.

On another note, I will admit that the writer in me can’t help but love when Carrie whips out her laptop and starts typing her column.

I’d have loved to have been a columnist.

I used to write little newspaper columns all the time, when I was a kid.

So, it’s very satisfying to see her words appear across her screen as she writes, each episode.

People write the show off as shallow, as too much, and as nonsense.

I disagree.

I think there are some deep thoughts in there, and while I don’t think a lot of the behavior that is modeled would be anything I’d ever want my daughter to learn from, there are definitely lessons to be learned, and relationships to be observed and remembered.

So, we bought Monkey in the Middle a phone.

It was time.

Over the summer, he has started to play further and further away from home.

While, in my childhood, I was out of the house from the moment I ate my last bite of cereal until the streetlights went on and my parents had no idea where I was, we live in a different world.

I’m happy to let him play away from the house.

But I want to be able to get in touch with him.

Also, there are all kinds of opportunities for him to have to stay after school, now that he’s in middle school, and yes, I work in the same school, but we actually don’t see each other all day long.

It’s great if he can shoot me a text and tell me what club he’ll be staying for.

So, we bought Monkey in the Middle a phone.

And, yes, he has texted me to let me know where he is.

And, yes, he has texted me to let me know when he’ll be coming home.

But my guy has a very short patience period, and so, often, when I pick up my phone, the screen looks like this:

Or, he thinks I’m bored and he wants to entertain me:

Then he discovered the camera, and started videoing himself pitching in slo-mo so he could perfect the process.

Very productive.

Then he decided to start taking pictures of me.

Not productive.

Then he discovered memes.

Except this meme says otherwise.

So, yeah, he got a phone.

God, help me.

A few days ago, I got a text from Erin.

We used to devour those Dark Forces books.

I haven’t thought about them in years, but as soon as I saw the picture, I was transported in time to my childhood bedroom, sitting in front of my bookcase, pulling one out after the other and just laying on the floor and reading all day.

Between Dark Forces and Sweet Valley High, I don’t know how I had time for much else.

Anyway, I’ve got a bit of a “thing” for old books, to begin with, and seeing this text gave me an itch.

I needed to have some of those books.

However, the only used book store in our town caters to an adult audience, and by that, I mean grown ups, just in case you weren’t sure.

Anyway…

When I was a kid, there was a used book store in Chester, a neighboring town, which is where I got many of my books by trading in the old ones.

My grandparents would give me books, I’d read them and instantly trade them in for more Sweet Valley Highs or Dark Forces or Nancy Drews.

My Dad and I would spend hours in that store, but eventually, it went out of business.

It’s always been my dream to open a used book store.

A place where people could come and trade in their old books, get someone else’s treasured books, sit, read, enjoy.

It’s not happening today, but hopefully, someday.

I went to Facebook and asked local friends if they knew of any good used book stores and a few people chimed in.

I looked up the places they were offering on Yelp and one of them looked really interesting, but a bit too ecletic.

It was a used book store, but billed itself also as a comic book store.

I wasn’t sure I’d find what I needed.

However, many of the other places were a further drive, so I decided to give it a shot.

We had no school on Monday, and I wasn’t feeling well at all.

However, I had to go pick up the kids instruments from the store where they were getting their fall “tune-up” so I figured I’d just drive a little further and check the place out.

Monkey Girl agreed to come with me, and we were off.

The minute I walked in the door, I was hooked.

Wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling.

Books.

Monkey Girl inhaled and said “I love that smell. It smells like old books.”

Exactly.

I took two steps in the door and knew I’d be making at least one purchase.

I’ve got a thing for Archie comics, and believe me when I tell you it was an exercise in control not to just sweep the shelf and buy them all.

I made a few selections, and then continued on.

Paydirt.

Sweet Valley High originals.

Oh, Sweet Valley High.

So many times when I’ve found myself being too straightlaced, I’ve said “What would Jessica Wakefield do?”

And when I’ve felt that maybe I was being a little too carefree and needed to exercise a bit of caution, I’d ask myself “What would Elizabeth Wakefield do?”

Not really, but oh, how I loved those books.

So, I made a few more selections.

We spent approximately 45 minutes in the store.

If I had felt better, I would have spent the entire day.

Packed a bag lunch and made an adventure of it.

In the end, here’s my haul:

4 Archie comics

4 Sweet Valley High Books (2 series regulars and 2 Special Editions because they are awesome)

2 Nora Roberts paperbacks, because I picked up the third in the series at a library used book sale, but haven’t read it yet, because I was looking for the first two

A Dark Force book (YEAH!!! They had one!)

An antique, original Bobbsey Twins book.  This one is pure sentiment, because my Dad used to have a set of those books, and I would read them, every summer, when I would stay with my grandparents in Ohio for a month. I always wanted those books, and think my grandfather may have thrown them out when in the midst of his Alzheimer’s. I saw it on the shelf and got a little teary. It needed to come home with me.

And…I had to get the My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Pez dispenser, because Rainbow Dash is Tiny’s favorite and we can never find any toys that aren’t all sold out of Rainbow Dash.

A Pez dispenser was the perfect fit, because that kid loves Pez like Olivia Pope loves her wine.

As we left, the store owner said “Tell your friends about us!” and I promised I would, and so here I am…telling all of you.

So…if you are in Northern New Jersey, hop over to Ray and Judy’s Book Stop at 40 West Main Street in Rockaway, NJ.

It’s worth the trip.

The only person who really recommended a scary movie with on my last post about my quest for a scary movie said that I should try “Insidious.”

So, Real Man and I gave it a try.

It was a good premise, as far as scary movies go. One that felt fairly fresh because it was a twist on an old plot.

We were off to a good start.

There were moments where I gasped or grabbed Real Man’s arm, and I felt like there was some real nightmare potential there.

But, then the movie took a road, midway through, and even though you know the people who wrote the movie expected this middle part to be really scary…it just wasn’t.

And then, when it got back to the scariness, you had been out of it for so long, you weren’t scared any longer.

So, it was a good movie, and I enjoyed it, but when it was over, I went about my business and didn’t think about it again.

So, not as scary as I was hoping.

Then, I was feeling disappointed that I hadn’t been scared enough, so the next day, Real Man and I decided to go see “The Gift.”

The commercials made it look pretty scary, and like a psychological thriller, and those are often the scariest, because people’s minds are twisted and that kind of thing can actually happen, so I was hopeful.

It was a good movie.

It was.

But it wasn’t even a little scary.

So, I’m 0 for 2 this scary movie season.

I’m holding out hope that things get…scarier.

Today, this is a room of desks and chairs.

Today, the air in this room is stale.

Today, this room is empty and clean.

Today, this room is a void.

But, tomorrow?

Tomorrow this room becomes full of life.

Tomorrow, children will enter, as nervous and excited as I.

Tomorrow, the air in this room shimmers with possibility and opportunity.

Tomorrow, this room becomes messy; good and messy with trial and error, investigation, curiosity and learning.

Tomorrow, this room is where drama will play out, secrets will be shared, laughter will ring, frustration will build, lessons will be learned, memories will be made.

Tomorrow, new relationships begin to be built, and even though I know they will leave me in 10 months…10 too short months…I love them all, a little, already.

Tomorrow is my favorite day of the school year, because, tomorrow…

We begin our journey.

Together.